Sign



March 25 192% 2 Skeeter-Sheety l D.' F. DUCK snm Filed April 412 H HrwSIGN Filed Abril 12 1922 2 SweS-Sheet 2 Patented `hrlar. 2id, 1924.

USTED srA'rx-:s

.namur F. Duck, or enfonce, ILLINOIS.

' sIGN.

Appunti@ mea April 1e, i922. serial no. 551,@77.

.electric 1i hted lfor either indoor or- -outdoor dlsplay, andfone ofthe objects is to provide a construction b whichthe si may l'beinexpensively prouced and at 't e same time `ssess attractivecharacteristics. Another object is to provide a mounting for theindividual sign letters by means of whichy they may be readily assembledwith and behind a glass panevfor'rendering' the sign imv `waterproof andat the same time unproving.

1 Other contributory objects appearance. ds

. I- accoinplish vmy objects by the conetrucfA Y 23 tion illustrated inthe accompanying draw` in in` whichl y lgure 1 is a front view of theassembled igure 2 is a sectional view onthelline $0 2,-2, Figure 1.

vFigggure 3 is a plan 'sectional view.v l 'Figlre 4 is a diagramxnatlcllv view svhqw Ii t eprinciple upon .whichthe ullar y li" ting efectlinmysignj'isiobtaine. l a gr i 5, .is a active viewlooking Lfrcmgtli:rearj'side'lhf lal.hiiouwriting; frame em-l bod f g onefeaturehfthevfinventionzrv comp eteindivi ualy etter..` y .4

46" lgurebis a' erspectivevlew of the face plate-oonepf t esign letters,and'.

Figure s isjapmpectiveyiwofthebeak plate(V belonging to the face`` plateof Figlure'r u Like. numerals denote like parts through- .fouttheseveral views. t

' to the form illustrated in the drawings, t ere is a main casing orexternal housing,which may be'of various construe'- tions 4 i d lightingelements. In theform illuscomprises two front 'lates 1 a bot- 2 ytoplplate 8 an end plates 4. ontplates come apparent as the descriptionppp..

its purpose being to housethe lettersv ave rectangular-openings 6approximately co-extensive with vthesign as a whole for exposing theletters. Located within the casing and distributed lin convenientpositions within it are lamp sockets 8 for the electric lamps 10.Channels 12 and 13 are arranged on the `lower and u per edges of theopening 6 for receiving an `re taining the lowery and up er edges f` themounting frames 14, one o which isshown in perspective in F1' re 5.These 'mounting framesrare iiat pieces of sheet metal in the form of ahollow rectangle and when a full complement is in place the sign will bej completely closed'at the front exce t for the central openings oftheframes, which in practice will be closed by the letters themselves). The.mounting frames are detachably supported in the casing, the lower edgeresting in the lower channel 12v and the `upper edge 4being retained inthe upper channel 13. The upper channel is /suficiently extendedvertically to. ernn't the insertion of the frames, which wi be shiftedupward and then ermitted to descend into the lower channe 12. Thesemounting frames are also provided with channels for supportingthe ettersand the glass panes f (when the latter are used). Saidchannels are shownon a large scalegin Figure 5,.the

'lower .channel 16 supporting the ower edlge 0f the'face" plate 18of'theletter and t e upper channel retaining the u per edge thereof.- Itisdesirable toprovi e vertical Hanges 2O on'the mounting frames lfor're- A.vel'iting Alateral displacement of `the ace plates ofthe letterspro er. The faceVH latel ofJ eac individual letter is a -rectangu arpiece of sheetfmetal havin an' opening 22 '-1n' ,ther form of theletter.. Spaced behind this front plate in the, plane paralle'lztol it,is`a back plate 24i which is lusuall imperforate'- and is of the samesize and's ape` astlie .opening 22l in the -front plate 18-in fact,according to the preferred method of manufacture, the back plateconsiste of the'punching removed from the frontlate by the die or othertool used in manu-v .acture This principleis well illustrated in Figures7 and 8, Figure 8 showing the material removed from the plate'illustrated vin Figure'7. 'The back late is held in fixed position byany suitab e means, for example, the spacing 'studs 26.

AIn operation, the letters propercomprislthe back of themounting,`frame, and after -vent rain, snow or dust from, entering thehousing through the letter openings 22. In case such a pane is used itisinserted by first passin the upper edge :under the upper channe 17 andthen lifting it high enough to clear the upperedge of the channel 16,after which 1 t is permitted to descend into channel 16'to be supportedby 1t, It occupies a position in close contact with this is inserted,the letter proper is inserted behind it in` the same mannenA The weatheris prevented from entering at the sides by the marginal flanges 20.Aftery the letter and pane (if used) are inserted into the mountingframe the letter isl insertedV into the main housingl in a similarmanner, the. mounting frame vbeing first moved upward with its upperedge within the upper channel 13, afterwhich it is lowered into thelower channel 12 where it remains.

A sign constructed upon this principleespecially where the back plate isan imperforate letter of the same size and shape as the space in thefront plate-gives a lighting effect that is both peculiar andattractive. Thel fact is that the marginal p01'- `tions of the backplate are more highly illuminated than the inner portions or reavsonsywhich will become apparent from a studyof Figure 4. Let us take fourparallel beams of light w, gw@ emanating from Within vthe housing.It'will be Jseen that the first three of these'beams are .reflected fromthe inner side of the front plate 18 to the front side of theback yplate24. Thefourth, a, will issue directly out through the letter opening andhence will not bereilected. The

result' is that thef'marginal portions of the lback 'plate .receivegreaterillumination than the inner portions. The result is that the ieye of the observer receives theimpression Yfront plate, but the that4the back plate is dished with the concave surfacefacing outward. This'effect maybe enhanced by somewhat dishing the back plate by the samedie which removes it from the front plate, but the greater the degree ofcurvature, the greater will be the expense of producing lthe dies, and aflat surfaced die is less expensive; consequently I am able to obtainthis attractive lighting effect at a minimum of expense. Further-` morenot only is the same metal employed for'the back plate that is removedfrom'the curved eect is producedeven though theifront plate is flat.

" It -Will be understood that the beams lw, y,

z are not necessarily-direct rays. They may be vrays-ofdilused orreflectedy light, as the interior of the. housingis preferably white andthere will be much diused light within the housing; but the raysindicated are typical and will answer for' the purpose lof analysis.

Another advantage of my' construction is the ease with `which theletters may be interchanged, and the fact that the sign may be rendered,weatherproof .'without changing its construction. In other words, if itis desired yto p roduce a sign ata minimum of expense the glass plates28may beremoved,

opening and 'of the same Isize as said open-A ing, whereby the secondplate may, ifde' sired, consist of the material removed from the frontplate to make the letter opening.

2. A sign having a letterconsisting of a front plate of sheet'metal anda back plate spaced behind it and arranged in a parallel plane with it,the-'front plate having an v Y opening conforming to the letter and-the' back plate being/ of a stantially equal to the size and shape ofthe opening in the front vplate and registering with said opening. E

SpA sign having a housing,

a letter behind it and arranged in a parallel'plane size and shapel sub-:,100 mounted therein, andconsisting of a front plate of sheetfmetal,and a backplate spacedy with it, the," front plate havinganopening I ofthe shape of the letter, and the back plate `bein of a'size and shapesubstantially equal to t e size land shape of the opening in the frontplate, and registering ywith said opening-,and means within the housingbehind the plane of the backv plate for illuminatin the si n. l i

4. sign avin'ga housing open at the frontA and provided with marginalchannels on the inside at the upper and lower edges offthe'openi'ng andsignv letters removably mounted in the casing, each. letter consistingofv a front plate of sheet metal having an opening of the size andshape/of the.'

letter anda back "plate secured behindthe front plate in parallelrelationI thereto, and

consisting of an imperforate sheet of metal of the opening, a. mountingframe having a rectangular opening and adapted to be no 1eee retained inand supported by said channels, said mounting frame having marginalebannels at the upper and lower edges of the opening, anda letterconsistin plate and a back plate arrange spaced planes, the back form ofa letter and the of a front in parallel, plate being in the front platehaving an opening of the same size and shape as theletter, the frontplate of the letter being. adapted to be retained in and supported bythe channels in 'the mounting frame.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

DANIEL F. DUCK.

